Talk of the town: Theatre inspired by SuBo’s Regal visit

WHEN you become world famous as quickly as Susan Boyle did, it would be easy to let it go to your head.

But the West Lothian crooner has proven her feet remain firmly on the ground after popping in to share her wisdom with some up-and-coming performers.

Susan was a surprise guest at Bathgate’s Regal Community Theatre – where she is a patron – to pass on tips to 16 youngsters about performing live. She then signed autographs and posed for pictures.

The theatre’s Charles Earley said: “To have Susan present was a huge honour and a real inspiration to all the performers.”

Standing room only as train team takes strain

AS far as corporate relations go, this one will hardly have business booming.

Rail company TransPennine Trains yesterday attempted to connect with its passengers by informing them via social networking site Twitter: “Go and say hello to members of our comms team, they’ve just left Manchester on the train to Edinburgh and are standing in coach C.”

One clever wag was quick off the mark to ask: “Is that due to a lack of seats?!”

Life in the fast lane

IF you’ve got a need for speed then all roads should lead to Harvey Nichols tonight as the St Andrew Square department store hosts an evening of “fashion and fast cars”.

Petrolheads can check out the latest trends while racing round an in-store track, and also be in with a chance to win “an exclusive driving experience” courtesy of Graypaul Ferrari Edinburgh.

If you wish to attend, please e-mail edinburghrsvp@harveynichols.com

More than a bit on the side

AT first glance, the news that crabs can travel more than 100 miles might seem like more of a cautionary tale than a cause for celebration, but thankfully the research done by experts at Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) concerns the brown crabs of the Orkney islands.

The results of the study, which involved tagging the crabs and was presented at the Orkney International Science Festival this week, showed that the female of the species can travel more than 100 miles in their lifetimes.